Sunday, March 6, 2011

Internationally renowned artist and sculptor Michael Kalish has created an awe-inspiring monument that pays homage to one of the greatest boxers of all time, Muhammad Ali. Kalish, whose studio is located in Culver City, said in an interview that the idea for the sculpture was born from a correspondence with Ali\'s wife, Yolanda, who had expressed her admiration for the artist's past work that used license plates as a sculptural medium. The artist created a piece for the Ali family, and their relationship eventually led to the new art installation.

Installation, titled "reALIze" is made up of 1,300 raindrop shaped punching bags, 6.5 miles of stainless steel cable and 2,500 pounds of aluminum pipe is a monumental 22-foot-high tribute to one of the world’s greatest boxing icons. The coolest thing about this thing is that if you look at it from any side it looks like a whirlwind of hanging punching bags, but if you look at it from the front, you’ll see a clear portrait of Muhammad Ali. Kalish said the project took three to four months of design time and then an additional five months of construction that took place in Gardena.

“I love turning ordinary objects into extraordinary works of art. This is an opportunity of a lifetime and I’m honored I could create this monument to pay homage to such an incredible man.” Kalish said about his magnificent work. reALIze will be unveiled on March 25th, at Nokia Plaza L.A. Live, in Los Angeles, where Muhammad Ali himself is expected to make an appearance and hang the last punching bag.